Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-22
DAILY HERALD.
THE BIG GUNS.
The worlds Mig GUNS and Their
Influence ON warfare.

The worlds ISig GUNS and Their /
Influence ON Warfare.
The havoc made in the Atlanta's |
fixtures by the inadequacy OF her gun |
TO hold and control her pivot
gums calls attention to the fact that
while the latter are very powerful for
an unarmorei cruiser cf her size,
they would make small show COM
pared with the heaviest ordnance now
carried in war ships.
The progress OF thirty years in con-
sfructing heavy guns has been extra
ordinary. The largest piece found on
war vessels in 1860 thew a bali weigh
ing sixty-eighs pounds with an initial
velocity Of l47o per second, and an en-
eryy OF 100 loot tons. Now initial Ve-
locities in high power guns have been
increased to 2lo0 feet; prolectiles at
the maximum weigh as much as $500
pounds, and in some cases are pre-
pelied by charges OF nearly hall ton
of powder, while 11o-pound guns OF
the Eenbow reach an energy on about
60 900 foot-tons.
Passing over the triumphs obtained
by intermediate calibres, which were
rcm markable in their day, we find that
the largest French steel guns, such rs
are used for the armament oi the Ter
rihae, completed at Brest, the Requln,
built at Bordeaux, the lndolnltabie,
built at I'Orient, and the Calman,
finished at Toulon, weighed each
about seventy-five tons. They de-
liver a proiectile weighing l7l6
pounds, with a muzzle veiecity OF
1889 feet per second and a muzzle en-
ergy of $4,000 foot-tons. The guns
are rifled breech leaders. The French
have other powerful guns, those con-
structed on the Bango system being
we'll known.
The Armstrong guns now mounted
for service in the Italian armor-clads
Duilio, Dandolo, Italia, and Lepanto
weigh 100 tons each and throw pro-
jectile of 1000 pounds. These have
long been familiar, but the latter
breoch-loading guns are improve
ments over the early muzzle- loader.
The most powerful of them take
powder charge of 772 pounds and have
an initial velocity OF 1885 feet per sec
ond, and a muzzle energy OF 5l 900
foot-tons. Guns of los tons have been
made at Elswick for the Francesca
LAURA, the Andrea Dona and the Mo
rosini, In these the weight OF the
charge is 900 pounds, the weight OF
the pryjectile 1000 pounds, the muzzle
velocity 2O19 feet per second, and the
muzzle energy 56,547 foot-tons. These
will undoubtedly prove m ost formida-
bic weapons.
The largest Krupp gun weighs near
ly ll9 tons. 1t is over As feet long,
and has calibre of 154 inches and
fires a shot weighing 2,3l4 pounds,
with muzzle velocity OF 1880 feet.
The maximum elevation gives it
range of nearly 7H miles. Its power
of penetration into wrought iron is
estimated at about Al inches at the
muzzle, 81 inches at the distance of
LOO yards and so inches at 5000
wards. At the distance of three NILS
its striking average is still about 2S,-
600 foot-tons. The Italians have two
of these guns mounted in shore bat
terry, for which purpose they are in
tended.
The English ll0-ton gun, manu-
factured at Elswick. is about A feet
long, and its actual weight PAT ,795
pounds. The screw block, removed
In loading, weighs 24 tons. The pro-
jectile is bot weighing l 800 pounds
and I614 inches in diameter. With
$50 pounds of powder the actual
muzzle velocity attained was 207S
feet, and the muzzle energy "a, 600
foot tons; so that with 900 pounds,
which the gun is constructed to use.
an energy on the projectile of 62.700
foot tons is expected. The recoil of the
gun is very small. The British also have
. powerful new gun in their 63-ton
steel breach loader, which will be car
ried on the Rodney. 1t is expected
to throw a 13L-inch shot of 1850
pounds with a powder charge of $50
pounds, and to attain 100 feet muzzle
velocity. Should these expectations
he realized this gun, though much
lighter, will be more destructive than
the 3O-ton gun OF the inf1exible, which
takes a projectile of 100 pounds, with
q cartridge Of $50 pounds, reaching
muzzle velocity of 1000 feet.
1t is said that the next step attempt
ed in heavy construction will be that
of q l50-ton monster, this project be-
ing attributed to the Essen works. 1t
would throw a shell six feet long,
weighing a ton and hair. There are
also some guns under construction
which are expected to accomplish re-
suits on somewhat new theories, as in
the case of the one manufactured for
Colonel Hope. This is to take an
enormous powder charge and to have
correspondingly great penetrative eff
feet. But, without going into the
possible successes of the future, those
which have already been achieved are
sufficiently astonishing. - IChicago
Journal of Commerce.